Peekskill BID’s holiday events

In a bit of welcome news like something straight out of a Hollywood movie (think the Miracle on…Brown Street), the recently shuttered and dark Paramount Theater at 1008 Brown Street in downtown Peekskill will temporarily reopen the weekend of December 22nd & 23rd for “Yes Virginia, The Musical” to spread some Holiday cheer. In addition, the Peekskill Business Improvement District (BID) announced the details of the second annual Peekskill Makes Me Merry (PMMM) campaign, making downtown Peekskill the place to be this December.

The PMMM campaign is organizing three Saturday events in December to promote the aspects of downtown Peekskill that makes it such a vibrant and unique community: its abundance of family friendly activities, its destination for cutting edge arts and cultural events, and it’s emergence as a foodie/refreshment hot-spot. In addition, the PMMM campaign will include a 10% discount across participating downtown businesses for holiday shoppers. For all campaign details, please visit the newly re-launched www.downtownpeekskill.com.

Saturdays events will include:

Downtown Kids’ Activities Open House Tour & Tree Lighting

Saturday, December 1st, 12pm to 7pm

The Peekskill BID is hosting an open house tour of all the great kids’ activities available around town, from magic, art, boxing and karate to digital filmmaking and music production. For more information on all of the tour stops, please see the Open House Tour Schedule. The Tree lighting, organized in partnership with the Peekskill Recreation Department and the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce, will follow at 4:30pm at the Gazebo (Corner of N. Division and Park). Live choral music, Santa and hot chocolate included!

Winter Windows Artcrawl & Pop Up Gallery Reception

Saturday, December 8th, 5pm to 8pm

The Peekskill BID is partnering with the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art (HVCCA) to make downtown a leading destination for contemporary art. Join us for a tour of illuminated artwork installed in storefront windows in the downtown, experience two live “art happenings” on downtown streets, and conclude the evening with a reception at a pop-up art gallery at 906 Main Street exhibiting the work of Peekskill Project V and other local artists. For more information on the location of downtown artist installations, please see the Winter Windows Art Crawl Map. In addition, please visit the Peekskill Arts Alliance small works exhibit at Scott Camera & Studio at 12 S. Division Street from December 1st-December 23rd.

Santacon Pub & Eat Crawl

Saturday, December 15th, 6pm

The Peekskill BID is organizing the second annual Pub & Eat crawl to show people why downtown has become a leading foodie/refreshment destination in the Hudson Valley. Why Santacon? Because crawlers dressed as Santa (or other holiday inspired costumes) receive special discounts along the way. Come join the Santacon tradition in downtown Peekskill and see what all the fun is about. For more information on all of the tour stops, please see the Santacon Pub & Eat Crawl Tour Schedule.

“Yes Virginia, The Musical”

Saturday, December 22nd at 2pm & 6pm & Sunday, December 23rd at 6pm

Paramount Theater, 1008 Brown Street

This inspiring story of a little girl who taught the world to believe is brought to you by the Macy’s Believe Foundation and presented by Antonia Arts and Rising Stars. This one weekend only musical performance provides the perfect reason to bring the whole family to downtown Peekskill to get in the Holiday spirit. Special guests will include Daisy Jopling and cast members of Annie and Cats. To reserve your tickets, visit the

online box office or purchase tickets at the box office one hour before show times.

That’s not all. In the spirit of giving, many downtown shops are offering 10% discounts this holiday season to shoppers with a Peekskill Makes Me Merry button or coupon. This holiday season, give twice: to your loved one and to support your local small business owner.

For all details about the campaign, please visit the newly re-launched www.downtownpeekskill.com.

Marcela Rojas has been a reporter for The Journal News since 2003 and has covered numerous communities in Westchester and Putnam, including Ossining, Peekskill and Brewster. She writes often about immigration and diversity topics that span the region, along with examining national and state policies as they affect local communities.

1 Comment

Edward Haight

As a former volunteer at the Paramount when it first reopened I’d like to express my sadness that the Paramount is closed, hopefully temporarily. When I began to reconnect with my hometown friends through facebook I was glad to see the quality of shows which were being produced, however, I’ve recently been informed about the prices of those shows and I wonder who they are being produced for? We had notable performers on a regular basis and yet the ticket prices were not out of line with what was affordable for the general public. If all you can do is show classic movies then do so, pay your bills and look for affordable quality talent. There’s plenty out there.